This award was created in honor of the late John Dale, who dedicated his service to AIAVT for several years and passed away during his term as 2020 president. This peer nomination award recognizes an AIAVT member architect who dedicates their time both to the profession and to their community, and who, like John, is a thoughtful leader, and an advocate for diversity and social equity.

AIA Vermont is pleased to announce that Jennifer Arbuckle, AIA, is the 2024 John Dale Award winner. Jennifer is a Principal at E4H, Environments for Health Architecture, and is the Director of the Williston E4H office.  

Jennifer was nominated by Devin Bushey, AIA, who wrote "Jennifer is not only a leader within E4H but also within the profession and community. At E4H, she has worked to create FWRD, a committee that stands for "For Women Resolve and Diversity." The goal of this committee is to increase diverse leadership and raise awareness of unconscious bias. This initiative helps advance the recruitment, support, and retention of women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in our industry. FWRD provides professional development and creates opportunities to discuss workload management, work-life balance, inclusivity, and flexibility in the workplace."

Jennifer has nearly 30 years of architectural experience in all types of health facilities. She has worked on projects across New York State, Vermont, and Massachusetts ranging from Children’s Hospitals to Community Medical Centers. In addition to her accomplishments in the field of architecture, Jennifer has further broadened the scope of her career in the areas of staff development and mentoring. Jennifer has a long history of service within the profession, having served on the Vermont Board of Architects from 2008-2018, including as Chair from 2014-2018. Jennifer has held the roles of NCARB Region 1 Chair, Vice Chair, and currently serves as NCARB Regional Director. Jennifer was a member of the NCARB Education Committee, a founding member of the NCARB Diversity Collaborative/ Committee in 2019, and a chair of the Taskforce from 202-2021. She also served as a member of the Regional Leadership Committee, the Policy Advisory Committee, the Governance Work Group, and on the Board of Directors Audit Committee and Competancy Task Force. Jennifer was the winner of the NCARB President's Medal for Distinguished Service in 2022. Additionally, Jennifer has served as a member of the Healthcare Advisory Board, as well as the Center for Health Design. Jennifer is dedicated to community service and also enjoys knitting, crafts, renovating her 150-year-old schoolhouse, and gardening in her spare time.

As part of the award, AIA Vermont will make a donation in Jennifer's name to the charity of her choosing. Jennifer has requested that the $1500 donation go to the UVMMC McClure Miller Respite House, "in honor of my mom Jacquelyn Arbuckle. For me this is a fitting choice, as my mom was the creative visionary and founder of the original VT Respite House built in Williston in the early 1990s. Although the hospice house has since moved to Colchester, her original creative vision is still strong in the operations, programs and design of the new building. It’s a unique place that provides a special place for those who need it in the community, so it feels appropriate to the spirit of the John Dale award.  It also honors my work as a healthcare architect (we are currently designing a hospice house in Cleveland OH), so feels appropriate for me as well!"